School is Back in Session for High Schoolers Across the U.S. – What Happens When They’re Already Behind?

Learn4Life offers struggling students a second chance at a high school education

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Teens starting their senior year of high school should be filled with excitement for the home stretch of earning their diploma and eager to plan their next chapter. But what about those seniors who have fallen behind on their credits and might be reclassified as a junior or even a sophomore?

These students know that they won’t be graduating with their class, and unfortunately, a significant number of those will decide to drop out. Some are too embarrassed to repeat a grade or two. Others must deal with adult responsibilities like caring for children or working – things that made them fall behind in the first place. And perhaps many struggled with a traditional classroom lecture model that left them without a sense of belonging.

“There are really good alternatives to dropping out that teens need to know about. Some schools like ours let students enroll anytime and offer a personalized education plan to put them back on the right path,” said Shellie Hanes, superintendent of Learn4Life, a network of 90+ public charter high schools.

“Our model is a flexible schedule in a non-classroom setting, and each student’s instruction is based on where they started and their goals for graduation. They come and go at different times and no one pays attention to what the other students are doing, just how they themselves are improving,” she added. “It really helps remove the stigma of having fallen behind.”

Hanes says that 72 percent of students who enroll at Learn4Life have already fallen behind their classmates, preventing them from graduating with their cohort. The school has retention specialists who work with the students and their families to get them back in school and on track to graduate.

“We fight hard to keep students in school and engage them with career technical education classes and teach them in a way that best reflects their learning style,” added Hanes.

Of teens who drop out of high school, only about half go back to earn a GED, which is often stigmatized as less valuable than a traditional high school diploma by prospective employers.¹

According to The Gates Foundation, the decision to drop out is a dangerous one for students, particularly in the age of technology where workers need at least a high school diploma to compete in the workforce.²

“Students who do stay in school tend to have one adult at school who believes in them and encourages them.³ We strive to be that advocate for our students,” Hanes said. “It can make all the difference in a successful outcome.”

For more information about Learn4Life’s personalized learning approach, visit learn4life.org/about/personalized-learning-approach.

About Learn4Life

Learn4Life is a network of nonprofit public high schools that provide students personalized learning, career training and life skills. Each school is locally controlled, tuition free and gives students the flexibility and one-on-one attention they need to succeed. Serving more than 64,000 students through a year-round program, we help them prepare for a future beyond high school. For more information, please visit www.learn4life.org.

¹ Although about one-half of high school dropouts eventually receive some sort of alternative certificate of high school completion, a “real” high school diploma is worth considerably more in the labor market (Cameron and Heckman 1993, Heckman and LaFontaine 2006).
² https://docs.gatesfoundation.org/Documents/Thesilentepidemic3-06final.Pdf
³ https://www.childtrends.org/publications/relationships-with-caring-adults-social-emotional-strengths-related-high-school-academic-achievement